All posts by csb10.top

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

A lower-order fightback from Gary Brent and Elton Chigumbura wasn’t enough to prevent South Africa from coasting to a five-wicket victory in the first one-dayer at Bulawayo. Zimbabwe recovered from a disastrous 72 for 7 to post 206 but the target was hardly challenging for the South Africans as Gulam Bodi, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers helped themselves to half-centuries, polishing off the target with nearly three overs to spare.After losing Loots Bosman in the first over to Christopher Mpofu, Bodi and Smith added 72, ensuring Zimbabwe could take no advantage of the early dismissal. To their credit, the Zimbabwean bowlers didn’t allow the batsmen to blitz away to the modest target, and the fielders too impressed with their commitment, plugging the gaps in the infield.Smith, playing his first match since the World Cup semi-final, got into his groove with boundaries on either side of the pitch. He used his feet against the gentle medium-pace of Elton Chigumbura and brought up his fifty with a boundary, an uppish drive off the same bowler. However, Chigumbura won the battle two balls later when he held on to a one-handed return catch. At this stage, the South Africans upped the tempo and pushed the run-rate above four.Bodi had the most to gain, impressing in his debut game. He fetched his first boundary with an innovative flick across the line from off stump and kept the runs coming. He impressed with his range of strokes, caressing half-volleys past mid-off and then took on the spinners, sweeping and stepping down the track. Zimbabwe used as many as six bowlers by the 25th over but none looked like troubling the batsmen as Bodi and de Villiers milked the attack with minimum fuss.Bodi eventually fell just after reaching his fifty, beaten for turn from the Prosper Utseya and edging to Tatenda Taibu, in his first match since 2005. de Villiers then took charge of the chase, stating his intent with three boundaries in an over off Mpofu, and even the loss of two more wickets – that of Jean-Paul Duminy and de Villiers – couldn’t bring the home side back into the game.Earlier, the Zimbabwe top and middle order were exposed in their inept display, after Utseya chose to bat under sunny skies. Vusi Sibanda set the pace with some confident boundaries off the front and back foot but he was unable to convert his breezy start courtesy a brilliant catch at slip by Smith in the fifth over with the score at 21.Reckless running contributed to five of their dismissals and Hamilton Masakadza was the first victim, following a mix-up with Brendan Taylor. The arrival of Taibu spiced things up and his urgency to get off the blocks was evident as he took on the short stuff from the seamers. Taibu, perhaps the only world-class batsman in the line-up, sized up Makhaya Ntini with a fierce pull over square leg and in the company of Taylor, settled into a good rhythm, flicking anything drifting on the pads from Johan van der Wath and Morne Morkel.

Like Sibanda, Taibu too failed to sustain the momentum, edging to the keeper for 22. The introduction of Vernon Philander left the home side in further disarray, as he picked up two wickets off successive balls. An astounding one-handed pluck by Shaun Pollock at slip sent Sean Williams packing and Stuart Matsikenyeri was all at sea to an offcutter that sent his off stump for a mid-morning jog.Two more run-outs followed; that of Taylor and Utseya, adding to the embarrassment for the home side. With all the regular batsmen back in the pavilion, Brent and Chigumbura set about the repair work with nothing to lose. They buckled down and picked up singles and twos. After nearly ten overs of nudging and grafting, Chigumbura broke the shackles with cover drives off Thandi Tshabalala, while Brent used the long handle to good effect each time the bowlers, especially Ntini, erred in length. The confidence in his strokeplay rubbed off on Chigumbura. A six by Brent brought up the 150 in style and soon after, Chigumbura took control, outscoring Brent.A couple of spanking drives through the off side brought up Chigumbura’s seventh half-century in ODIs and following it, he proceeded to cart the bowlers over midwicket. A run-out, courtesy de Villiers, ended Chigumbura’s knock at 59 but Brent stayed on till the end, reaching his maiden international half-century in 78 balls. Zimbabwe posted a more respectable 206 but it was hardly a match-winning one.

Shot of the day
Ian Bell’s response to Dilhara Fernando’s first ball of the morning.It was full and straight, and Bell creamed it straight back down theground, past the non-striker’s off stump by a whisker, and all the wayto the rope. Last night Matthew Hoggard has spoken of England’s desireto hit the ground running in this match. With one shot, Bell showedthat England were determined to live up to that promise on a dailybasis.Catch of the day
Chamara Silva’s outstanding snaffle at short midwicket. Bell had beenbatting with determination and poise, but his desire to remainpositive in the face of Muttiah Muralitharan’s onslaught eventually proved hisundoing. It needed a massively alert fielder to take advantage of hismiscued drive, however, as the ball squirted in the air off a thickinside-edge and Silva at full stretch to his left ended an excellentinnings and carried Murali ever closer to destiny.Stonewaller of the day
The free-flowing Michael Vaughan is not used to being entrenched whilebatting… except, of course, when he’s playing a Test in Kandy. Threeyears ago, Vaughan led England’s rearguard on this ground with aseven-and-a-half hour 105. Today, he dug in with the determination ofa captain with four days in which to capitalise on an outstandingfirst-innings bowling effort. Muralitharan kept him pinned down at thepress-box end of the ground, and by the time he was dismissed (much tohis chagrin) for 37, he had occupied the crease for a furthertwo-and-a-half hours.Over of the day
There was only one bowler who mattered today. A feverish crowd chantedand drummed in appreciation, and Murali did not disappoint, as hereeled his way towards the world record with a mesmeric performance.The zenith came in his 18th over of the day – six deliveries, everyone a live hand-grenade. Paul Collingwood fenced a ripper inches shortof a sprawling silly point; Ravi Bopara turned one tentatively off histoes and into the hands of short leg, but replays showed he’d justmanaged to jab it into the turf first. But Murali’s eyes weretwinkling with anticipation, and sure enough, Bopara’s maiden Testinnings ended with a leg-side strangle next ball.Anticlimax of the day
Kandy hasn’t known such heights of reverence and worship since theBuddha’s tooth was last paraded through town. The world record was athis mercy, as Ryan Sidebottom took guard in preparation for the ordealhe was about to face. Six deliveries were negotiated but none of themcomfortably, but then the weather closed in from the surroundinghills, and the quest had to be put on hold for another 24 hours.

Shoaib Malik has been retained as Pakistan’s captain until December 2008 after the PCB extended his current appointment by another year. Malik was made captain in April, following Pakistan’s dismal World Cup performance, originally until December this year.”Malik has shown enough promise to warrant more time as captain,” Nasim Ashraf, the board’s chairman, said. “He has led the team well and all the players are comfortable with him.”We are looking to have continuity in the captaincy as this is instrumental in the improvement of the team. Malik is young and learning and the perfect choice.”The appointment of a vice-captain, however, will be made on a series- to-series basis. Younis Khan, deputy for the tour of India, is the third vice-captain during Malik’s tenure; Mohammad Asif was appointed for the Abu Dhabi ODI series against Sri Lanka, while Salman Butt replaced him for the ICC World Twenty20 and the home series against South Africa.Asif, meanwhile, might be sent to Australia for treatment on the elbow injury which forced him out of the ongoing ODI series in India. He also missed four out of the five ODIs against South Africa last month, and the status and extent of his injury remains uncertain.”We have two reports on his [Asif’s] injury. One specialist says he requires surgery, another feels he can recover without surgery. We have sent his reports to a top specialist in Australia and we are awaiting his response,” Ashraf said.Pakistan are due to play three Tests against India after the ODIs, before taking on Zimbabwe for a five-match ODI series at home in January.

The West Indies Cricket Board has backed down over its decision to remove Dwayne Bravo from its list of players offered retainer contracts after pressure from the ICC and FICA, the international players’ association.The website caribbeancricket.com quotes sources close to the board as saying that Bravo, Daren Ganga and Runako Morton had been added to the list published in July.Bravo was not offered a retainer contract because of his deal with bMobile, a direct competitor of Digicel, the board’s official sponsor. But representatives from the ICC and FICA informed the board that the existing contract could not be a factor as an agreement signed by the board stated that “a player may have and shall be entitled to fulfil obligations under pre-existing Player Endorsement Contracts”. Ganga also has a private endorsement deal with bMobile that will remain in effect while he is contracted to the WICB.WIPA, the West Indies players’ association, had been deeply unhappy that an agreement it had with the board stating that at least 10 retainer contracts would be issued was ignored when only seven – plus Bravo – were unveiled. As a result of pressure, the board had little choice but to add the three named today.The WICB has repeatedly tried to find a way round the agreement regarding pre-existing contracts and has been hauled back into line every time. It might well be that the board now has no choice but to go back and renegotiate its multi-million dollar deal with Digicel as it may have given undertakings it can now not adhere to. Given its financial predicament, the board is in no position to lose any more income, but there have been deep reservations about the terms of the contract from the off.Contracted players Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, Runako Morton, Denesh Ramdin, Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Mark Boucher has been named in the South African squad for the last two Tests against England. Boucher last played for the Test side during the tour of Sri Lanka last August. He had played 74 consecutive matches before being dropped for their tour to India in November. Thami Tsolekile, who replaced him on that tour and kept wicket in the first Test at Port Elizabeth, has been released to turn out for Western Province Boland. Boucher’s selection clears the way for AB de Villiers, who has kept in the last two matches, to open the batting as there are concerns about the form of Herschelle Gibbs there.”I’m absolutely delighted, but also quite shocked to be recalled now,” Boucher told Reuters from Centurion, where he was playing for Warriors against Titans in a SuperSport Series match. “I thought my chance to be involved in the series had gone when I wasn’t selected in the second and third Test squads because we had no domestic cricket. All I’ve been able to play over the festive season is beach cricket. I’d be lying if I didn’t think at one stage that my international career might be over.”Haroon Lorgat, the convenor of selectors, explained the decision: “With the series now locked at one-all with two to play, experience is going to be a critical factor in the outcome of the last two Tests, and Mark brings plenty of that to the squad environment.”Charl Langeveldt, who fractured a bone in his left hand at Cape Town, is in the squad pending a fitness test before the fourth Test. A replacement will be called up if he is not fit.The fourth Test starts next Monday (January 13) at the Wanderers ground in Johannesburg.Squad Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, Boeta Dippenaar, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Nicky Boje, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Charl Langeveldt.

The rain affected South Zone Cooch Behar Trophy match between Kerala andGoa, predictably enough, ended in a disappointing draw at the MedicalCollege ground in Trivandrum today. Play was possible only for 133 minuteson the first day during which Goa made 71 for eight wickets. The second andthird days were completely washed out and the teams got three points each.This was the second successive no result for Kerala.

In the latest round of Championship matches, a record-breaking 341 from Craig Spearman set up a 10-wicket win for Gloucestershire over Middlesex, while 13 wickets from Heath Streak for Warwickshire helped his side beat Northants at Edgbaston. Sussex beat Lancashire by eight wickets after making them follow on at Hove, and 103 from Andrew Symonds helped Kent draw at Worcester. In Division Two, Yorkshire wrapped up a comfortable victory against Durham thanks to a century from Darren Lehmann, and there were comfortable wins for Glamorgan and Hampshire. Notts beat Somerset by 7 wickets at Bath after five wickets to Greg Smith.

Frizzell County Championship Division One

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Klusener blasts off after top guns self-destruct – The Guardian
Day 2 report: Spearman punishes Middlesex – The Times
Day 3 report: Spearman surpasses greats – The Telegraph
Day 4 report: Unstoppable Spearman finishes off Middlesex – The Independent

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Lancashire lacking leading lights as Adams steals show – The Independent
Day 2 report: Mahmood thrashes as Lancs topple – The Guardian
Day 3 report: Lancashire crumble before champions – The Times

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Mean Streak gets record – The Daily Telegraph
Day 2 report: Phillips checks march of leaders – The Times
Day 3 report: Perfect Streak shows allround abilities – The Times
Day 4 report: Streak revels in return to day job – The Independent

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Peters hits century to set tone -The Daily Telegraph
Day 2 report: Symonds gets stuck on record – The Guardian
Day 3 report: Peters steals the show – The Times
Day 4 report: Careful calculations required by Worcs – The Telegraph

Frizzell County Championship Division Two

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Dawson delivers England hint – The Daily Telegraph
Day 2 report: Dawson puts Yorkshire in dominant position – The Times
Day 3 report: Yorkshire seal early win – The Telegraph

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Kaneria cramps Hampshire’s style – Wisden Cricinfo
Day 2 report: Warne turns the tide Hampshire’s way – Wisden Cricinfo
Day 3 report: Rampant Hampshire race to victory – Wisden Cricinfo

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Mighty Matt’s record glory – The Western Mail
Day 2 report: Leicestershire lifted by Maddy – The Times
Day 3 report: Hughes and Croft build victory platform – The Times
Day 4 report: In-form Glam stroll to victory – The Western Mail

Scorecard
Day 1 report: Heavy artillery from Blackwell – The Daily Telegraph
Day 2 report: Patience is its own reward for Bicknell – The Independent
Day 3 report: Somerset upstaged by Smith’s inspired swing – The Times
Day 4 report: Caddick a lone star as Notts steam on – The Independent

Other match

Scorecard

The Rest of Balochistan (RoB) and Rest of Sindh (RoS) Quaid-i-AzamTrophy fixture was delicately poised after stumps on the second day atthe National Stadium Thursday.RoB, resuming this morning at 241 for six, were skittled out for 270in the first session of play. By close, RoS had reached 226 for fiveand needing another 44 to take the first innings lead.RoS’s paceman Kashif Pervez added two more scalps to his overnight’sthree to finish with five for 39.RoS’s skipper Hanif-ur-Rehman led the foundation of a strong replywhen he stroked a fine 77 off 81 balls with the aid of 14 boundaries.

ScorecardIndia A’s tail crumbled at the hands of Stuart Thomas early on the second day of their three-day tie against Glamorgan, reducing them from their overnight score of 149 for 6 to 165 all out in a jiffy. Glamorgan, in their turn at the crease, responded strongly with 104 for 4 by stumps.Thomas, a former England A medium-pacer, bowled with good control, snapping up Parthiv Patel, Amit Mishra, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Aavishkar Salvi in the space of 10 runs. India A lasted just 7.5 overs on the second day.Amit Bhandari and and Salvi struck early for India A, having Glamorgan at one stage at 35 for 3. Balaji then bowled Daniel Cherry, but that was India A’s last success for the day. Adrian Shaw (27 n.o.) and Mark Wallace (24 n.o.) stitched together a 49-run partnership for the fifth wicket, taking Glamorgan through to stumps only 61 runs behind with six wickets in hand.

After banning Maurice Odumbe for five years, the ICC is now investigating further accusations of corruption involving Kenyan players, according to Reuters reports. Individual interviews with 14 players will be held between November 30 and December 2 by two members of the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, Martin Hawkins and Alan Peacock.Sammy Obingo, the Kenyan board’s general manager, issued letters to the players in question, in which he told them: “The purpose of their visit is to carry out investigations into matters that arose during the recent Maurice Odumbe inquiry in Nairobi. The investigations are centered on the players and officials of the 1999-00 Kenya team of which you were a member.”The current investigations were sparked by comments made by Odumbe’s ex-wife at the inquiry, where she suggested six Kenya players may have been involved in corrupt practices.”I think this is a follow-up of what emerged at the Odumbe inquiry involving other national team members,” said the chairman of the Kenyan board, Sharadh Ghai. “I think this is what they are coming to conduct further investigations on.”The banning of the charismatic and influential Odumbe following the inquiry hit the Kenyan team hard. And although he protested his innocence, his request for an appeal was turned down.The current investigation is just the latest in a series of events to set back Kenya. Steve Tikolo resigned after the Champions Trophy – and a players’ strike followed. The new captain, Hitesh Modi, said: “We’ve gone ten steps backward since the World Cup.” Interestingly, he defended Odumbe, saying, “I thought it was unfair that he got a five-year ban. There have been players who have admitted to have taken money but who have got away. And they are only saying he knew a bookie, but they have not pinpointed any game which was affected.”